One thing that always seems to crop up when we are designing a corporate signature package and a color plan for a company is the different presentation that a single Pantone color can have.
Once your logo is designed and you decide on a color plan for your identity, you need to understand that different printing processes and paper stocks will have an effect on the way the color looks. Normally you would opt for a 2 color logo and signature package if you were planning on doing a lot of letterhead, envelopes and the like. This keeps the cost of printing down. If all you needed was a logo for full color printing and/or web related marketing this isn't as critical.
To understand why the same color can look so differently (not allowing for printer error) you need to understand the different printing processes. For the purposes of this post, when I refer to printing I am referring to traditional offset "ink on paper" printing opposed to digital or toner based printing.
Spot color printing is where your selected color is either mixed by a recipe of other colors or the actual ink is purchased buy the tub. The latter normally provides for a more consistent color as hand mixing allows for more human error and color variations. If you have a 2 color piece that is getting printed, 2 printing plates are made (one for each color) and the colors are laid individually. Adjustments are make to made sure the registration or the relationship between the two colors, is where it need to be.
CMYK, or process, printing is done on much larger presses and can produce full color images on the finished product. The images are all built from 4 primary ink colors: cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
viaThere are 4 plates made, one for each color. The 4 different ink colors are combined to form the full color images you see in magazines, brochures, catalogs, posters and other similar products. Some large commercial presses even have additional "heads" that will put down special coatings on top of the ink for design effects or protection.
Now, back to your colors showing up differently. For example, let's say you pick a blue color called Pantone 2747. There are 4 possible outcomes with regards to the way the color will be presented.
Spot color printing on un-coated paper
Spot color printing on coated paper
CMYK printing on un-coated paper
CMYK printing on coated paper
To add one more variable, digital printing or toner based printing, that is not Pantone calibrated, can yield yet another presentation of the same color. Even though they are the "same" color (blue 2747) they may look different. Granted, they are very similar but holding them right next to each other will reveal the difference. Printing Un-coated paper will allow the inks to soak in more giving the color a bit of a washed out look. Another thing to keep in mind, everything goes out the window if you start printing on colored papers.
If continuity and exact matches are important for you, make sure you see how your color will vary by process. Your designer should have Pantone charts that will show the difference between the different processes. Normally the goal is to find a Pantone color that will translate well between spot color and CMYK. Next time we can discuss half tones or screens, the cheat for turning 2 color printing into 3 color work and still use 2 inks.
So there you have it. The next time your green seems a little off or your red isn't quite right, think about how it was printed.
Thanks again for stopping by The Big Bald Blog.
Labels: Design, printing
